The Melting-Pot

[The curtain falls.]

Act IV

Saturday, July 4, evening. The Roof-Garden of the Settlement

House, showing a beautiful, far-stretching panorama of New York,

with its irregular sky-buildings on the left, and the harbour

with its Statue of Liberty on the right. Everything is wet and

gleaming after rain. Parapet at the back. Elevator on the right.

Entrance from the stairs on the left. In the sky hang heavy

clouds through which thin, golden lines of sunset are just

beginning to labour. DAVID is discovered on a bench, hugging his

violin-case to his breast, gazing moodily at the sky. A muffled

sound of applause comes up from below and continues with varying

intensity through the early part of the scene. Through it comes

the noise of the elevator ascending. MENDEL steps out and hurries

forward.

MENDEL

Come down, David! Don't you hear them shouting for you?

[He passes his hand over the wet bench.] Good heavens! You will get rheumatic fever!

DAVID

Why have you followed me?

MENDEL

Get up-everything is still damp.

DAVID [Rising, gloomily]

Yes, there's a damper over everything.

MENDEL

Nonsense-the rain hasn't damped your triumph in the least. In fact, the more delicate effects wouldn't have gone so well in the open air. Listen!

DAVID

Let them shout. Who told you I was up here?

MENDEL

Miss Revendal, of course.

DAVID [Agitated]

Miss Revendal? How should she know?

MENDEL [Sullenly]

She seems to understand your crazy ways.

DAVID [Passing his hand over his eyes]

Ah, you never understood me, uncle.... How did she look? Was she pale?

MENDEL

Never mind about Miss Revendal. Pappelmeister wants you-the people insist on seeing you. Nobody can quiet them.

DAVID

They saw me all through the symphony in my place in the orchestra.

MENDEL

They didn't know you were the composer as well as the first violin. Now Miss Revendal has told them.

[Louder applause.] There! Eleven minutes it has gone on-like for an office-seeker. You must come and show yourself.

DAVID

I won't-I'm not an office-seeker. Leave me to my misery.

MENDEL

Your misery? With all this glory and greatness opening before you? Wait till you're my age--

[Shouts of 'QUIXANO!'] You hear! What is to be done with them?

DAVID

Send somebody on the platform to remind them this is the interval for refreshments!

MENDEL

Don't be cynical. You know your dearest wish was to melt these simple souls with your music. And now--

DAVID

Now I have only made my own stony.

MENDEL

You are right. You are stone all over-ever since you came back home to us. Turned into a pillar of salt, mother says-like Lot's wife.

DAVID

That was the punishment for looking backward. Ah, uncle, there's more sense in that old Bible than the Rabbis suspect. Perhaps that is the secret of our people's paralysis-we are always looking backward.

[He drops hopelessly into an iron garden-chair behind him. ]

MENDEL [Stopping him before he touches the seat]

Take care-it's sopping wet. You don't look backward enough.

[He takes out his handkerchief and begins drying the chair. ]

DAVID [Faintly smiling]

I thought you wanted the salt to melt.

MENDEL

It is melting a little if you can smile. Do you know, David, I haven't seen you smile since that Purim afternoon?

DAVID

You haven't worn a false nose since, uncle.

[He laughs bitterly.] Ha! Ha! Ha! Fancy masquerading in America because twenty- five centuries ago the Jews escaped a pogrom in Persia. Two thousand five hundred years ago! Aren't we uncanny?

[He drops into the wiped chair.]

MENDEL [Angrily]

Better you should leave us altogether than mock at us. I thought it was your Jewish heart that drove you back home to us; but if you are still hankering after Miss Revendal--

DAVID [Pained]

Uncle!

MENDEL

I'd rather see you marry her than go about like this. You couldn't make the house any gloomier.

DAVID

Go back to the concert, please. They have quieted down.

MENDEL [Hesitating]

And you?

DAVID

Oh, I'm not playing in the popular after-pieces. Pappelmeister guessed I'd be broken up with the stress of my own symphony-he has violins enough.

MENDEL

Then you don't want to carry this about.

[Taking the violin from DAVID'S arms.]